


Remedy

by rememberednoah



Series: adele's 25 stucky fic challenge [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Remembers, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Nightmares, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-20
Updated: 2016-02-20
Packaged: 2018-05-22 00:04:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6063148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rememberednoah/pseuds/rememberednoah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Bucky Barnes has constant nightly nightmares. In which Steve Rogers makes it all better. In which a lot of hugging and snuggling ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Remedy

**Author's Note:**

> As I said in a previous fic of mine, this is post Civil War and everyone is okay and nobody died because I said so. Ignorance and denial is bliss. 
> 
> On another note, the title of this fic is the same as the Adele song that inspired this fic. This fic was also inspired by the fact that I rewatched The First Avenger and The Winter Soldier and realized that Bucky really does need a hug.

Steve slept lonesome on his bed: bright red sheets tangled between his legs, a hand tucked under his pillow, another hand splayed haphazardly by his face, strong shoulders freed of all tension, eyebrows relaxed, eye lashes casting shadows on his cheeks, and plump pink lips slightly parted. He was lost in one of those rare deep sleeps he hardly ever experienced. His chest rose and fell evenly; it was a sign of just how peacefully he rested. He was safe. He was calm. Everything was as it should be. . . Until it wasn't. 

One moment the blond was sound asleep, the apartment swallowed in silence, and then the next a scream shattered the quiet. Steve bolted upright in a second. He was not a tangle and stumble of limbs when he got to his feet and rushed to the door of his room. He was in full control of himself in an instant. When he paused at the door, Steve found that he’d reflexively reached for his shield which always rested by the foot of his bed. He glanced down at it, and then at the door, but found that he could not seem to let it go. He took it along with him as he opened the door to his room and peered into the hallway with a searching glance. 

Everything seemed quiet for a moment, as if the blond had imagined the scream, but then Steve heard the labored breathing. It was desperate: it came in fast and harsh pants. Steve set down his shield against the hallway wall, certain of where the scream had come from, and walked over to the door of the guest room. He knocked gently on the surface. He didn’t want to startle him. 

He took a breath to settle down his nerves, which were tense and frigid with the adrenaline that had suddenly pumped through his veins from hearing the scream, and said in a reasonable tone, "Buck?" 

The breathing caught for a second with a choked sound. It was then followed by complete and utter silence. Steve tried again to get an answer. He would try as many times as was necessary until the other man granted him passage. "Bucky, can I come in?"

More silence followed Steve's question. The blond took in another calming breath to get a hold of himself and leaned his forehead against the cool surface of the closed door before him. "Buck, please. Let me help you in any way that I can." 

Steve waited, listening to his quickening heartbeat. All he wanted was to comfort the other man. After everything that had happened, Steve just wanted to be _there_. He wanted to be there for all the times he hadn't been. He needed—

"Come in," whispered a barely audible voice. It was Bucky's voice, certainly, but the sound was nearly imperceptible. The sound of it so soft, so _broken_ , tore at Steve's heart. 

The blond steeled himself and opened the door. The sight inside did not surprise him. He was sure now that this couldn't have been the first time. It didn't _look_ like the first time this happened. Steve's jaw clenched at the thought that he hadn't even realized there had been other times he should have been here. He was sure there was no way he could have slept through one of Bucky’s nightmares, but the sight of the dark-haired man proved him wrong. This was his first time being there for Bucky, but it was not the first time he was needed. Swallowing this feeling and burying it in the pit of his stomach, Steve slowly approached the bed. 

Bucky's eyes were glued on him. Steve not only felt them, but saw their gray nearly burning his body. They were wide open, bloodshot, dark shadows underneath the bright gray orbs, and terror consuming the irises. Sweat covered Bucky's body, making his gray t-shirt cling to his chest and making his hair hang in mattered strands around his face. His skin looked almost sickly, like whatever he had dreamed of had become a sickness that could physically latch itself onto Bucky's whole system. 

The blond sat on the edge of the bed and looked once more in Bucky's direction. The dark-haired man didn't speak a word, eyes still wide, and chest rising and falling with uneven breaths. Steve stared sadly at the distance between them and tried not to frown. He glanced down at his hands, and something told him to put his hand, palm up, in the space between them. He did. It was a peace offering, a consolation price, a plea. . .

Bucky's eyes flickered to Steve's offered hand and then met the blue-eyed gaze of the blond. This brief glance was enough for Bucky to make his next decision. The dark-haired man moved in a blink and without a word. One moment he was sitting, nearly curled up at the head of the bed, and the next he'd clutched Steve's hand in his own and had buried his face in the crook of the blond's neck. 

Steve nearly sighed in relief, but Bucky's breathing only turned more erratic with his choice to move. Steve cupped the back of Bucky's damp neck and brought him in closer. He pressed a kiss to the side of the dark-haired man's head and closed his eyes. Bucky began to tremble in his arms, the motion so broken that Steve couldn't help but to wrap his arms around the other man. Bucky did not complain, but merely settled more comfortably in the blond's arms and shook slightly. 

"Buck, listen to me. It was a nightmare. It was a nightmare, and it's over. It's all over now." Steve tightened his hold around his best friend and took a deep breath before he continued talking. "Do you want me to tell you something? A memory? A happy memory? It won't matter if you can't remember it. It'll be just fine if you don’t." 

Bucky nodded fervently, hands suddenly clutching at Steve's t-shirt. His grip was unrelenting; it was desperate. The blond searched his brain for a happy memory. He wanted to find one of the really good ones. He knew there were more than a handful of them hidden somewhere in the back of his head; they just merely became harder to take a hold of when he desperately needed them. After some brief consideration, he suddenly latched onto one of them fiercely. 

"It was probably the hottest summer in Brooklyn. Oh, Buck, I remember it so well. It was so fucking hot. I was pretty sure I was going to melt right to the floor. I was certain my lungs were going to give up on me right then and there. Meanwhile you, being the jerk you were, you were running around Ma's little apartment. You were convinced running around would somehow make the heat better. Such a fucking idiot. Then there was Ma who thought that was the perfect moment to bake a pie. It was one of her days off from work, and she was _convinced_ an apple pie would make us all better. Buck, apple pie is _hot_. I'm not sure she wasn't trying to kill us that summer. Or maybe she was just tryin' ta kill you since you wouldn't stop runnin' around. So, anyway, Ma was in the kitchen, not even bothering to ask for my help 'cause I was dying on the living room floor, and I remember her tryin' to convince ya' to stay still and you just kept running and complaining 'bout how you were gonna die that summer." 

"You really were a drama queen when you wanted to be, Buck. But then again, I wasn't any better. So, Ma went on trying to make pie, and you ran into the kitchen and stole one of her apples. I think she threw a wooden spoon at you for all your trouble and, like a little bastard, you easily deflected it. You took a bite outta the apple and then had the _gall_ to lay down unceremoniously beside me on the floor, flinging an arm across my chest. Jesus, it was so fucking hot that summer. You were sweaty, and I was sweaty. And I remember harshly throwing your arm back in your direction, and you, you fucking jerk, you laughed and took another bite of the apple." 

"And then I remember you said, 'Sarah, it's so hot that even this apple is warm, and it ain't even in the oven yet'. And then Ma said, 'It serves you right for stealing from my kitchen. How’s Steven?' That was Ma for ya', asking 'bout me when I was _right there_." 

Steve was so caught up in telling his story that when Bucky suddenly spoke up, he was startled. The dark-haired man whispered, his voice slightly louder than before, "And then I said, 'He's still breathin'. The punk won't give up on us yet. Poor sucker.' Then you elbowed me and pretended to start wheezing like you couldn't breathe." 

Steve grinned and said back, "Ma saw right through me. She didn't even leave the kitchen. She just kept trying to make pie. You totally freaked out. One second a jerk, and the next trying to keep me alive. I remember I made you miserable for like a full _minute_ before I couldn't keep it together anymore. I just started laughing and laughing. I almost really had an asthma attack because of how much I was laughing. It was worth it for your face. You were so shocked, Buck. Oh, I wish you could have seen your face. It was priceless." 

"I remember. . . I remember shoving you and calling you a punk for scaring me. I really was scared for your punk ass." Bucky murmured, his voice soft and warm. He was calming down; Steve could tell. After his words, Bucky's fists softened their hold on the front of Steve's shirt slowly. Even so, the blond refused to let go of the other man quite yet. 

"Yes, I remember shoving you back and you threatening that our friendship was over forever. Then I said, 'You would never give up Ma's pie.' And then you were all like, 'Sarah, you would sneak pie to my house, right? I consider myself your second son. I assume the feeling is mutual.' And then Ma threw something in your direction and said she would do no such thing because you couldn't stop being my friend if you tried. After that, well, we sort of remembered how infernally hot it was, and we just lay side by side sweating like crazy even though we weren't moving an inch. Then eventually Ma finished the pie, after hours of us moaning and groaning 'bout how hot it was and how we were surely going to die from the heat and how we weren't sure how she hadn't passed out while making the pie. Now that I think about it, I _don’t_ know how she didn't pass out as she made that apple pie. I'm sure I would have if I had been in that kitchen with her."

"Anyway, Ma eventually brought us each a slice of pie and, even though we were going to die from the heat, we ate that pie like it was holy. I remember you tried to steal some from my plate, and by that point we were both so on edge because of the heat that we started brawling right there, on the living room floor, and Ma had to step in and separate us." 

"And in the end, you sill gave me what was left of your pie, and I was left feeling like I won. Sarah just rolled her eyes at us and kissed our sweaty foreheads much to our annoyance." Bucky released what remained of his hold on Steve's shirt and gently lay his head on the blond's chest. 

Steve sighed, relief flooding his chest, and he softened his hold on the man in his arms. He was in no way prepared to let him go, but he no longer felt the urge to hold on to him for dear life. He dared to spare another kiss to the top of Bucky's head and whispered, "Better? Do you need anything else?" 

Bucky nodded slowly and said, voice sturdier, more certain of himself, "Stay here for a while longer." 

"Alright, Buck." Steve placed a hand on the back of Bucky's head, hair still wet with sweat, and closed his eyes. He felt like he had just averted a storm. What troubled the blond was that he felt like this would not be the last storm they would face.

**[ + + + + + + ]**

Steve lay sprawled on the living room couch of his apartment. He used a red, white, and blue cushion (the one that Sam had given him as a present for his birthday last year) as a pillow and stared at the screen of the TV. As per usual, the blond was finding it hard to sleep. He managed to catch a few hours of sleep, but the rest eluded him. Due to this, he lay watching a series on the screen, not even bothering to truly pay attention to what was going on in the episode. 

In one strong fist he toyed with the end of the blue blanket he had dragged all the way from his room when he figured he wouldn't be sleeping anymore that night. He kept tugging at the fabric, trying to manage to release a strand he could pull on more fiercely, but to no avail. Growing frustrated, and still slightly upset at the fact that he hadn't managed to get more sleep, he let out a sigh of exasperation as he stared down at the blue sheet hastily thrown around him. 

He didn't hear when the door to the guest room opened. His blue eyes were trained on the blanket around him, glaring at it, and he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. Next thing the blond knew, he sensed movement near the couch. Steve looked up and was surprised, although he figured he shouldn't have been, when he found Bucky standing just beside the couch. He was wrapped up, nearly from head to toe, in a fuzzy and thick gray blanket. The thick fabric was over his head and was tightly wound around Bucky's strong body. 

The other man looked haunted. The shadows under his eyes were darker than ever, but his eyes were not frightened. Their gray was consumed by another emotion all together. His features were contorted into ones of pure guilt. As silently as he had come, he kneeled beside the couch so that his face was in front of Steve's. Steve did not speak a word. The blond had the distinct feeling that Bucky needed to be the one to speak up first or he would not say what he had come there to say. 

After a brief pause, a flicker of uncertainty crossed Bucky's expression before he nodded to himself. In the moment he took to steel himself, a sudden sort of desperation clung to him. His eyes pierced Steve's blue ones and he leaned closer. His voice was a soft murmur, but it still dripped with desperation, with the _need_ to be believed. "Steve, I wouldn't ever hurt you again. I wouldn't ever fight you again like that day—" 

Steve watched him hesitate, the words catching in his throat. He saw the eyes of his best friend brim with tears. He would have reassured Bucky instantly that it was all alright, but the other man stopped his words. 

"I'm so sorry, Steve. I'm _so_ sorry. I think I would have killed you that day, Stevie. If you hadn't—" Bucky shut his eyes tightly and took in a shaky breath. Steve could not bear it any longer. He could not stand to see his best friend beat himself up for something he had no need to ask forgiveness of. He'd already been forgiven. 

Without any sort of warning, Steve grabbed Bucky by the blanket wrapped around him and pulled him toward him. Somehow, Steve was not sure how, he managed to fit Bucky and himself onto the couch. He threw an arm around Bucky's waist and the dark haired man did not put up any resistance. Quite the contrary, Bucky snuggled up closer to the blond and let out a shaky breath. 

"Buck, you don't have to apologize. I've forgiven you for that, I forgave you the moment it was happening," Steve said, voice kind and gentle. He could not quite believe the other man was still beating himself up for that. It felt to Steve like that fight had been eons ago, something to be forgotten altogether. 

"That's because I'm your blind spot, Stevie. You're too good with me," Bucky whispered, his voice gaining an almost sweet edge to it. Steve could nearly hear a smile hidden in the words. 

"I'm as good to you as you deserve and need, Buck. No more and no less." Steve unconsciously tightened his hold around the other man and buried his face in his dark hair. He took a deep breath, reassuring himself the other man truly was there and that that moment was real. They were both there, on that couch, snuggled together in each other's arms. 

"Stevie?" Bucky questioned, trying to meet Steve's gaze. 

"Yeah?" The blond asked, blue eyes meeting Bucky's gray ones. 

"Can we stay just like this for a little while?" Bucky asked, uncertain. He was as cautious with how he said the words as if he were tiptoeing around a sleeping cat. 

"We can stay like this for as long as you like, Buck. If you're comfortable, then I'm comfortable." 

Bucky nodded softly and settled in closer against Steve. The blond wrapped his arms tightly around the dark haired man again and buried his face in the dark locks. He closed his eyes tight and took another deep breath. He felt as Bucky relaxed fully in his arms, shoulders sagging, limbs free of all tension, his whole body at Steve's mercy. Steve felt like he was whole once again. All he needed was _this_. All he needed was to have the man he loved in his arms feeling safe and warm.

**[ + + + + + + ]**

Steve lay restless on his bed. He was lost in sleep, but it was a fitful one. His body kept shifting and twitching under the covers. A small sheen of sweat coated his forehead while his eyebrows were furrowed. As he tossed and turned unconsciously, his hands grasped around wildly at the white sheets around him. His blond hair stood unruly around him, the strands sticking out at odd ends. 

He was in another bout of fitful tossing when a scream tore him from the light grasp he had on sleep. " _Stop_! No! _No_!" 

Steve's eyes opened instantly and he got to his feet all in one smooth motion. This time he knew with certainty to whom the scream belonged to. Quickly, he opened the door to his room and peered out into the hallway. To the blond's utter surprise, Bucky was already making it out of his room and towards Steve's. Bucky's eyes were the first thing the blond noticed, they were sad and pleading and breaking with a sea of tears. 

Steve did not hesitate. He ended the distance between Bucky and himself and wrapped Bucky up in a tight embrace. The dark-haired man crumbled in his arms and his shoulders shook as a sob tore through him. Steve held him tighter as he felt the other man shake in his arms and buried his face on the crown of Bucky's head. Standing like this, Steve assured him, "It's over now. It's all over. They can't hurt you anymore. They will never hurt you again. You're safe." 

Bucky only shook harder in Steve’s arms when he heard the words of the blond. Steve began to rub circles onto Bucky's back with his palm and kept whispering, "You're safe. It's over. They can't hurt you." 

The dark haired man wrapped his arms around Steve's waist tightly enough that the blond was sure he was trying to squeeze his insides out of his body. He did not complain. He would never complain. In the crushing hold of his best friend he said, "I'm here. We're home and we're safe. No one can hurt you here. _I_ won't let them and _you_ won't let them." 

Bucky's hold did not soften, but his body began to slowly stop trembling. Steve resumed rubbing circles onto Bucky's back until his body lay still pressed against Steve's. The dark haired man released a shaky sigh and his hold around the blond loosened, but he did not let go. Steve made sure not to release his hold on the man in his arms and kissed Bucky's head. "Better?" 

His best friend nodded gently and sniffled softly. "I bet ya' weren't expecting to be sharin' an apartment with such a mess of a man."

Steve squeezed his arms around Bucky and said firmly, "I wasn't expecting anything. All I was expecting was to live with my friend. It's not like I'm much better off, I'm not as put together as I try to make myself seem, Buck." 

"Well, you certainly haven't cried once since I've been living here. You seem pretty well adjusted to me," Bucky said, arms draped lightly around Steve's hips. It was then that the blond noted that they were rocking slightly from side to side in a soothing motion. He was unsure of when the movement had begun, but he was reluctant to bring it to a stop now. 

"Just because you haven't seen me it doesn't mean it hasn't happened," Steve finally found the strength to reply, his hold still firm on the man he loved so much. 

Bucky did not immediately reply and so they were left to rock slightly from side to side in the middle of the hallway silently. In the end, it was still Bucky who managed to conjure up a reply. He came to a sudden stop, startling Steve who was beginning to get sleepy with the motion, and looked at the blond seriously. "That's just not fair, Stevie." 

The blond had completely lost the thread of what they had been talking about. He frowned in Bucky’s direction and gave him a questioning look. "What isn't fair, Buck?" 

The dark haired man drew back his arms from around Steve and crossed them in front of his chest. His lips shaped into a serious and straight line and his brow furrowed in not exactly anger, but something close to it. "It isn't fair that I can go to you crying like an idiot, but you won't do the same with me. I don't— Here's the deal, Stevie. If I can be weak around you, then you have to be able to do the same thing with me. I don't want this to be one-sided. I don't want this to be that one is always the strong one and the other is always the weak one. I refuse to accept that."

Steve sighed and puffed out what was half a chuckle and half a breath. He scratched the back of his head, trying to think, before he met Bucky's eyes and offered him a timid smile. It was now Bucky who looked at him in confusion and this only made Steve smile wider. "I think I can do that, Buck. So, will you stop giving me that look?" 

Bucky's features released all their tension and his shoulders relaxed. He nodded softly and then turned his focus towards the living room. "Do you want to head to the couch or do you want to try to go back to sleep?" 

"Let's go to the couch," Steve said. Acting braver than he actually felt, Steve grabbed Bucky's hand and led him toward the couch. To the blond's relief, Bucky intertwined their fingers and easily followed after him. 

Steve sat down on the couch, grabbing the blanket neatly folded at the end of it and dragged Bucky down beside him. He draped the large warm red blanket around their shoulders and picked up the TV remote. "How does Netflix sound?" 

Bucky nestled in closer to Steve, resting his head on the blond's shoulder, his hand still tightly clasping Steve's, and whispered, "Netflix sounds good." 

"Okay, Buck."

**[ + + + + + + ]**

Steve sat on the kitchen counter, a pint of chocolate ice cream in his hands. His blond hair was a tousled mess atop his head and his eyebrows were furrowed with frustration. His baby blue eyes stared at the contents of the ice cream pint in his hands and his furrow deepened. Unsure, and with the remaining strands of sleep clouding his mind, he scooped a large amount of ice cream into a spoon and began to gloomily suck on it. He had just woken up from a particularly bad nightmare, but the details of it were blurring away with each passing second. He knew the nightmare had something to do with Peggy and Bucky, but he could no longer tell what. He shivered slightly, the feeling of the dream still crawling all over his body even as he continually forgot the events that happened in it. 

He was going to take another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth when he saw Bucky walk into the kitchen. The other man was disheveled, dark hair sprawled in every which way on his head, t-shirt and sweatpants wrinkled and sticking to his skin in odd places. He frowned slightly in Steve's direction and walked up to him without saying a word. The blond was not sure what the other man was planning and was even more confused by his movements. 

Bucky walked up to him and gingerly reached out to touch his face. Steve was frozen in his spot. He refused to move for fear of what that might mean. Bucky, as gentle as his approach, tenderly ran his thumbs under Steve's eyes and that's when the blond realized he'd been crying. He had not even realized the tears had been there until that precise second. Steve stiffened his stance, out of reflex, and Bucky automatically drew back a pace. 

Steve expected Bucky to walk away thanks to his utter lack of tact in that moment, but, instead, Bucky sat down on the kitchen counter beside Steve. Unceremoniously, he grabbed the pint from Steve's hand and also stole his spoon. He scooped up some ice cream for himself and began to eat it absently. Steve couldn't take his eyes off of him as he did this. Bucky’s gray eyes looked tired and worn, like the lack of sleep was finally catching up on him. His lips were red and chapped, like he had anxiously bitten on them as he slept. In general, he looked like he had about as great a night as Steve had and, for the first time, Steve was utterly uncertain of what he _should_ do. 

As a form of reply, due to the fact that Steve had not uttered a single word, Bucky offered back the pint of ice cream. Steve graciously accepted it and ate more of his ice cream gratefully. The cool and sweet substance on his tongue made him feel better, more at ease. After what felt like a long pause, Bucky asked, "Do you want to talk about it?" 

Steve shook his head and took another spoonful of ice cream. He stared down at the brown ice cream and tried to figure out what to say. He knew what he _wanted_ to say, but he was not sure it was the right thing to say. The truth of the matter was that he had no idea where exactly he stood with Bucky and it drove him crazy, but he felt like neither of them were quite ready to solidify what they were, what they were actually _doing _.__

__"Want to go cuddle on my bed until we fall asleep or don't fall asleep?" Steve asked, the words bubbling out before he could second guess them. He’d made his decision without really thinking about it. He figured it was too late to backtrack now. Bucky would either accept or deny the offer, there was no other alternative to the situation._ _

__"Yes," Bucky said, immediately jumping to his feet. He grabbed the pint of ice cream from Steve's hand and stashed it in the freezer in about two seconds. He then took hold of Steve's hand and the blond didn't need to be reassured twice. Bucky was anything but uncertain of what he wanted and Steve wasn’t about to question the decision the dark haired man had made when it was the one Steve _wanted_. _ _

__Steve followed after Bucky and they made it to his room with its rumpled sheets and pillows strewn haphazardly around. Bucky immediately picked up a pillow from the floor and clutched it to his chest while he settled down under the covers. Without really asking, or saying much of anything, Steve crawled under the covers and put an arm around Bucky's waist._ _

__Bucky settled back against his chest and Steve buried his face in his dark hair. The dark haired man seemed to relax in Steve's arms and grabbed one of the blond's hands in his own. For a moment, he fiddled around with Steve's fingers before he spoke up. "This is— This is strange. I feel like I should be the one holding you."_ _

__"You could turn to face me and we could just sort of—" Before Steve could finish his statement, Bucky had shifted. He turned to face the blond and easily put an arm around him and tangled their legs together so their bodies were pressed tightly against one another. Then Bucky sighed, relieved, and nodded slightly to himself._ _

__Steve remained tense for a few seconds, the shock of suddenly being so close to Bucky settling in, and eventually the tension left his body and he threw his own arm around Bucky. He buried his face in the crown of Bucky's head and took in deep measured breaths. In just a few seconds, he felt more centered and calm than he had before. "Do you want to talk about what your nightmare was about?"_ _

__Bucky shuddered in his arms and shook his head adamantly. "No. Being with you makes me feel better. All I want is to feel _better_ , not relive what happened in my nightmare. Just hold me close and pretend like you're never letting go." _ _

__Steve instantly tightened his hold around Bucky and said firmly, "I'm not letting go ever again, Buck. I thought you knew you were stuck with me."_ _

__"'Till the end of the line?" Bucky whispered, his voice barely audible in the silence of the room. It was as if he were scared of his own words, of what Steve might say back._ _

__"Of course, jerk."_ _

__"Punk."_ _

__Steve chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to Bucky's cheek before he could convince himself not to. The dark haired man smiled up at him and buried his face in the blond's chest without another word. His hand clutched tightly at Steve's t-shirt and he took a deep breath. Steve stayed quiet, not sure that Bucky wanted him to say anything at all, and began to gently rub circles onto Bucky's back. At some point, both men fell asleep.__

 _ _ **[ + + + + + + ]**__

 _ _Steve woke with a sudden jolt at the feeling of tossing and turning. He sat bolt upright on his bed, automatically running a hand through his messy blond hair, and he noticed Bucky tossing violently on the bed beside him. The other man was whimpering, body twisting sharply, with his eyes shut tightly as he seemed to be fighting away something. The sight of the other man so clearly in pain, _distraught_ , made Steve’s chest tighten painfully. Without a second thought, Steve reached out to him and gently shook the other man's shoulders. _ _

__Bucky woke up with a jump. His eyes opened in a flash and he scanned wildly around the room as he took in his surroundings. He was trembling all over when his eyes finally fell on Steve. In one sudden movement, Bucky launched himself into Steve's arms and collapsed into them as his body shook with sobs. Steve immediately wrapped his arms around the other man in a tight embrace and began to murmur nonsense into his ear._ _

__Bucky only trembled even more as his sobs became loud and interrupted by hiccups. Steve hugged the other man even tighter than he probably should have and said to him, "Hey. Hey, it's over. I'm here. I'm here, Buck. _I'm here_."_ _

__Bucky wrapped his arms around Steve and buried his face in the blond’s neck. His body kept shivering as his sobs slowly quieted down. Steve cupped the back of Bucky’s head and whispered, “Focus on me, Bucky. Forget the nightmare. It’s done. You’re awake, Buck. Awake and safe.”_ _

__The dark haired man let out a strangled hiccup and drew back slightly. “Can I kiss you, Stevie? _Please_?” _ _

__Steve, caught by surprise and mind not fully sharp because he’d been startled from sleep, spit out the first words that popped into his mind. “Are you sure? Morning breath is still a thing. The twenty first century hasn’t fixed that yet.”_ _

__Bucky chuckled, the sound bursting out of him suddenly, catching both Steve _and_ Bucky by surprise. The dark haired man shook his head slightly and cupped Steve’s face in his hands. “You’re such a fucking idiot.” _ _

__Before Steve could even process what was happening, Bucky leaned down and pressed his lips against Steve’s. It was barely a gentle peck, a soft touching of lips against lips, but it still managed to completely undo Steve. The blond’s arms loosened around Bucky as the dark haired man drew back slightly, but only so he could drape his arms around Steve’s neck. Before the blond could even think to formulate a reply, the dark haired man was kissing him again and all thoughts that weren’t _Bucky_ , drifted out of his mind. He could no longer sit still as Bucky began to pull away slightly, he searched for Bucky’s lips with his own and kissed him as tenderly as he knew how to. Bucky smiled slightly, possibly inwardly laughing at Steve’s refusal to separate from him, and kept kissing him even as tears still ran down his cheeks and touched Steve’s own cheeks._ _

__When the blond felt the warm tears touch his skin, he only kissed the other man more surely. He kissed him like he wanted to convince him of something. Steve guessed he was kissing him like he wanted to convince him that everything really was okay and like he could take the pain away. That’s what Steve wanted, to take Bucky’s pain from him, to make him happy again._ _

__Bucky pulled away suddenly, leaving Steve gasping with the need to never stop kissing him, not ever. The dark haired man pressed his forehead against the blond’s and said, without any sort of prelude and without what Steve figured to be any relevance, “I want us to get a puppy. I want us to get a dog and for us to share a room and to always fall asleep in your arms because I’m going to go crazy if we don’t. I’m going to lose my mind if I have to wake up all alone ever again. Promise me, Stevie. _Promise_.” _ _

__Steve cupped Bucky’s face in his hands, forcing the other man to meet his gaze and nodded firmly. “I promise, Buck. Whatever you want, whatever you _need_ , Buck. You don’t have to ask twice.” _ _

__“Good. Now kiss me again before we go to the couch to cuddle.”_ _

__Steve laughed softly, blue eyes bright and happy, and he didn’t reply. Instead, Steve kissed his best friend and felt like he was finally home again.__

 _ _ **THE END**__


End file.
